RECORDING October 2022 - 14

REVIEW
WARM AUDIO WA-CX12
Build & Components
Warm has done an excellent job selecting
and sourcing components for an
authentic C12-style microphone with
premium components throughout. The
WA-12-B-60V (CK12-style capsule) is an
all-brass, edge-terminated design with
a CEK-12 back plate-which Warm
claims is a critical element in overcoming
the manufacturing limitations of the original.
The diaphragm is 24k gold sputtered,
six-micron Mylar, which is consistent
with later iterations of the C12 (the
original started with ten-Micron Styroflex
before eventually landing on six-micron
Mylar). The WA-CX12 captures 30-20
kHz with a ruler-flat response through 3
kHz, where a top-end boost takes flight
before rolling off around 19 kHz.
The WA-CX12 uses a 12AY7 dual-triode
vacuum tube known for its rich and
smooth character. It couples this with
a custom American-made TAB-Funkenwerk
Output transformer, providing a
natural midrange response with a touch
of top-end sheen.
The microphone's minimalistic body
(larger than the original C12) is a durable
nickel-plated brass, and looks classy
and well made.
The WA-CX12 ships with a tweed
case that houses the power supply, shock
mount, cabling and a wooden mic box.
Like the original C12, the WA-CX12 can
produce nine polar patterns from cardioid,
omni, figure-8 and in between.
The microphone weighs more than
2lbs, so ensure you have a high-quality
stand with a counterweight-I'm not
kidding! Especially if you want to use a
pair of them as drum overheads.
Studio Tests
When reviewing microphones inspired
by another, I think evaluating the mic on
its own merit before diving into a side-byside
comparison is essential. So to kick
things off, I recorded the WA-CX12 on
vocals, acoustic guitar and piano.
The WA-CX12 shines brightest on vocals.
It sounds full-bodied, harmonically
rich, and captures a bright-yet-smooth
top-end full of every detail but still smooth
and focused. The lows are accurate-not
overly pronounced and not absent, either
with a balanced and natural midrange.
On acoustic guitar and piano, the WACX12
is a fine performer capturing lots
of attack and detail in the top end of their
range. The low mids are balanced, and
I found it relatively seamless to drop the
recordings into a mix without much effort.
Taking the C12 context out of the picture,
I found the WA-CX12 to hold its
own in a studio environment, delivering
a balanced and polished sound on every
source I threw at it.
Shootout
Now, let's dive into the $20,000
question: how does the WA-CX12 compare
to a vintage AKG C12? I'm very
fortunate to engineer at Coupe Studios
in Boulder, where we have such a microphone
in our locker.
On vocals, the differences between the
two microphones are impressively subtle.
The WA-CX12 goes beyond capturing
the essence of a C12-it captures the
tone, timbre and vibe of the C12 with
incredible accuracy. Both microphones
sound harmonically rich and balanced.
The WA-CX12 exhibits a slightly brighter
top-end and a touch less body in the
lower mids, and I was able to discern the
two in a blind test. However, without giving
the vocalist any context, he favored the
sound of the WA-CX12. He liked that his
vocal sibilance was more pronounced
and popped out a bit more on that mic.
Maybe the WA-CX12 was slightly less
smooth than its legendary counterpart we
have here at Coupe, but this was only noticeable
in dedicated critical listening.
Wrap Up
Warm Audio knocked it out of the park
with this one. I believe this is the most authentic-sounding
Warm Audio product I
have tested (so far) [Ha ha, wanna fight
about that? - Ed]. Is it indistinguishable
from the original? No, but it is incredibly
close. Is the real deal worth the extreme
price difference? That's not for me to
decide, but the fact is-if you're in the
market for a C12 flavor tube condenser
and you don't have the means for an authentic
vintage model, the Warm Audio
WA-CX12 is a worthy candidate and deserves
your attention.
Price: $799 WA-47F; $999 WA-CX12
More from: warmaudio.com
14 RECORDING October 2022
http://pspaudioware.com http://warmaudio.com

RECORDING October 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of RECORDING October 2022

Fade In
Fast Forward
Warm Audio WA-47F & WA-CX12X
The Nostalgic, Futurist Piano Man: Daniel Lanois Player, Piano
Focusrite Clarett+ OctoPre
Session Log: Ribbon Microphones
ADK Microphones: Munich-7-T T-FET
Moog Music Mavis
Inside The Studio With Mark Hornsby: Cool Mics by Non-Mic Companies
Heiserman Audio H251
Plugin Outlet: sonible smart:comp 2
AEA TRP500
Inside The Box with Joe Albano: Virtual Preamps
Pearlman Microphones TM-12A
MasterWriter
Sequential Take 5
Mojave MA-D
TIERRA Audio New Twenties
RECORDING October 2022 - Intro
RECORDING October 2022 - Cover1
RECORDING October 2022 - Cover2
RECORDING October 2022 - 1
RECORDING October 2022 - 2
RECORDING October 2022 - 3
RECORDING October 2022 - Fade In
RECORDING October 2022 - 5
RECORDING October 2022 - 6
RECORDING October 2022 - 7
RECORDING October 2022 - Fast Forward
RECORDING October 2022 - 9
RECORDING October 2022 - Warm Audio WA-47F & WA-CX12X
RECORDING October 2022 - 11
RECORDING October 2022 - 12
RECORDING October 2022 - 13
RECORDING October 2022 - 14
RECORDING October 2022 - 15
RECORDING October 2022 - The Nostalgic, Futurist Piano Man: Daniel Lanois Player, Piano
RECORDING October 2022 - 17
RECORDING October 2022 - 18
RECORDING October 2022 - 19
RECORDING October 2022 - 20
RECORDING October 2022 - 21
RECORDING October 2022 - 22
RECORDING October 2022 - 23
RECORDING October 2022 - 24
RECORDING October 2022 - 25
RECORDING October 2022 - Focusrite Clarett+ OctoPre
RECORDING October 2022 - 27
RECORDING October 2022 - 28
RECORDING October 2022 - 29
RECORDING October 2022 - Session Log: Ribbon Microphones
RECORDING October 2022 - 31
RECORDING October 2022 - 32
RECORDING October 2022 - 33
RECORDING October 2022 - 34
RECORDING October 2022 - 35
RECORDING October 2022 - 36
RECORDING October 2022 - 37
RECORDING October 2022 - 38
RECORDING October 2022 - 39
RECORDING October 2022 - ADK Microphones: Munich-7-T T-FET
RECORDING October 2022 - 41
RECORDING October 2022 - Moog Music Mavis
RECORDING October 2022 - 43
RECORDING October 2022 - Inside The Studio With Mark Hornsby: Cool Mics by Non-Mic Companies
RECORDING October 2022 - 45
RECORDING October 2022 - 46
RECORDING October 2022 - 47
RECORDING October 2022 - Heiserman Audio H251
RECORDING October 2022 - 49
RECORDING October 2022 - Plugin Outlet: sonible smart:comp 2
RECORDING October 2022 - 51
RECORDING October 2022 - AEA TRP500
RECORDING October 2022 - 53
RECORDING October 2022 - Inside The Box with Joe Albano: Virtual Preamps
RECORDING October 2022 - 55
RECORDING October 2022 - 56
RECORDING October 2022 - 57
RECORDING October 2022 - Pearlman Microphones TM-12A
RECORDING October 2022 - 59
RECORDING October 2022 - MasterWriter
RECORDING October 2022 - 61
RECORDING October 2022 - Sequential Take 5
RECORDING October 2022 - 63
RECORDING October 2022 - Mojave MA-D
RECORDING October 2022 - 65
RECORDING October 2022 - 66
RECORDING October 2022 - 67
RECORDING October 2022 - 68
RECORDING October 2022 - 69
RECORDING October 2022 - 70
RECORDING October 2022 - 71
RECORDING October 2022 - TIERRA Audio New Twenties
RECORDING October 2022 - Cover3
RECORDING October 2022 - Cover4
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